How To: Raised Closed Herringbone Stitch for Needlepoint
Colleen, in house needlepoint teacher at The Wool & The Floss, teaches us how to do a Raised Closed Herringbone Stitch for Needlepoint. This technique is used specifically on a penguin's beak as a part of our Christmas Portraits Club. This technique also works really well for leaves.
Full transcript below for step-by-step directions:
I am going to show the raised closed herringbone stitch, which you will use on the nose. This stitch gives it a really nice, dimensional look.
To begin with, I’ve created it here. You’re going to come up from the bottom and go down at the lowest point of the nose. This is usually over two or three canvas threads, so you’re just creating a small anchor stitch like that.
Next, you’re going to come up on the left side of center. You’ll go through the stitch you used at the bottom, cross over to the right side of center, and then come up again in the adjacent hole next to the first one you did.
Again, you’re going to go through that anchor stitch at the bottom and then go to the next adjacent hole on the right. You keep going around, pulling as you go.
Now, come back up on the left side, through the center bottom, and over to the right side—again through the center. You’re going to continue making your way all the way around until you fill in the nose.
Believe me, it comes together. It’s kind of fun and magical to watch it take shape, and the nose ends up exactly where you want it. The beak will be nice and puffy, and then the rest just kind of falls into place.
